Chi-Town commission in skills audit

HARARE - The commission set up to probe corruption at Chitungwiza Town Council is planning to conduct a skills audit of the local authority’s employees, the Daily News has learnt.

The Madzudzo Pawadyira-led team reportedly wants to weed out all staff members employed without requisite qualifications.

This comes after Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere suspended the town’s all 25 councillors on allegations of mismanagement and corruption, and installed the caretaker commission.

While Pawadyira declined to comment yesterday, saying “the issue is too sensitive to speak to you over the phone”, sources said the skills audit was starting in earnest, soon.

“Because of the alleged high levels of corruption that caused the suspensions of the entire council, the commission believes there were some people who were employed without proper qualifications for the jobs that they are currently in, some I know are relatives of councillors, while others are party loyalists who assisted the councillors in winning the 2013 elections. All these people will be targeted,” an official who declined to be named said.

Chitungwiza Residents Trust director Marvellous Kumalo welcomed the audit, but said it should not be a witch hunt against genuine employees.

“Residents welcome the audit because some of the employees are questionable.

“You wonder whether the bureaucrats have any idea of what they are doing.

“While those who are not qualified should go, those who have the requisite paperwork should be allowed to continue with development of the town, which is their mandate and number one priority,” Kumalo said.

The audit comes after Pawadyira refused to disclose how much the commission was being awarded in allowances, after residents had demanded to know.

“They have refused to share their terms of reference with us and that is suspicious. To add to that, when we asked them how much they were getting as allowances, they refused to disclose.

“Unless they signed a non-disclosure agreement with the ministry, they have nothing to hide.

“They are investigating other people’s allowances yet they are keeping theirs a secret,” Kumalo said last week.

Post a comment

Readers are kindly requested to refrain from using abusive,
vulgar, racist, tribalistic, sexist, discriminatory and hurtful
language when posting their comments on the Daily News website.
Those who transgress this civilised etiquette will be barred from
contributing to our online discussions.- Editor